Chelsea prepare to rival Liverpool for potential €80m centre-back transfer
Chelsea are reportedly preparing to “attack” the situation of Benfica central defender Tomas Araujo this summer, as he’s also eyed by Liverpool.
A report from Portuguese outlet A Bola states that Chelsea, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain could be teams to watch in the race to sign Araujo, who has an €80m release clause in his Benfica contract.
The report adds that Benfica don’t want to sell Araujo, but it seems some kind of approach from Chelsea is anticipated.
Fabrizio Romano has previously told CaughtOffside about Chelsea’s interest in the Portugal international.
Chelsea did well to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in the past, and Araujo looks like another player who could be ready to make that step up to a higher level.
Tomas Araujo transfer situation explained
A Bola suggest that Chelsea should be able to afford a tempting offer for Araujo, while Liverpool could also be one to watch after missing out on Dean Huijsen, who instead joined Real Madrid.
Araujo looks like a fine alternative to someone like Huijsen, having established himself as a key player since breaking into the Benfica first-team.
The 23-year-old is still relatively inexperienced, but that shouldn’t stop Chelsea, who have recently done well with a philosophy of signing the best up-and-coming talents from around the world.
Do Chelsea and Liverpool need Araujo?
Araujo looks like he could be an upgrade on unconvincing performers such as Benoit Badiashile and the injury-prone Wesley Fofana in Enzo Maresca’s side.
Liverpool, meanwhile, probably don’t need Araujo as much as they already have Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as a superbly strong partnership.
There’s always room for more squad depth, though, so Araujo could be a useful option to rotate with Van Dijk and Konate over the course of a long season.
Liverpool would also probably be the more tempting project right now as they look to be going from strength to strength after winning the Premier League title in 2024/25.
The post Chelsea prepare to rival Liverpool for potential €80m centre-back transfer appeared first on CaughtOffside.